Periscope 101

When it comes to marketing, trends are ever-changing. Social advertising has placed a huge emphasis on video lately, and especially with videos that are delivered to audiences instantly. One app that sees the importance of instant video is Periscope.

Periscope, which was launched March 2015, is a live streaming app owned by Twitter that displays video both within the Periscope app and in Twitter’s newsfeed. This mobile app allows its users to share, view, and comment on live videos. Similar to Snapchat, once a video has concluded you have the option of replaying it for up to 24 hours.

Periscope also encourages live discussions and feedback. This live streaming app has become vastly popular within a relatively short amount of time – in just a little over a year Periscope has an estimated 10 million users.

Although many people may see Periscope as just another app that encourages posting videos onto social media, it’s much more than that. Periscope allows businesses the opportunity to entice their audience with exclusive live content. Since the content is up for no longer than 24 hours, audiences that tune in get the benefit of seeing exclusive content you won’t see on other channels.

If you want to use Periscope for your business, you need to understand some of the basics.

It’s all about timing.

Since Periscope connects to Twitter, it’s important to research when your audience will be online and engaged so you can reach the most viewers.

Captivate your audience from the start.

If the stream starts off slow, you’ll likely lose viewers. Make sure that your video kicks off in a way that gets your audience excited about what you’re promoting right off the bat.

Engage with viewers.

When you respond to comments and questions you create a more interactive atmosphere that allows people to feel more familiar with your brand or business.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

When people think of brand videos, dollar signs and high production costs come to mind, but with Periscope that isn’t as important. The fact that the video is streamed live makes it acceptable to not be as polished and produced and makes it feel more authentic and relatable.

Based on the success that apps such as Periscope have recently experienced, Facebook has decided that they would like to join the party with their own version of live video streaming with Facebook Live. Snapchat has also included a similar feature within their app. Instead of just sending photos, users can now send videos that will also disappear after 24 hours.

Apps such as Periscope can help form an emotional connection between your customers and your business. In an era where instant gratification is expected, live streaming apps have proven to be a helpful marketing tool for your business.